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In early March, the Georgia Department of Labor organized the largest job fair in the state’s history; more than 19,000 attended in order to meet with 100 employers. In California, more than 10,000 people flocked to Dodger Stadium for a job fair. And in Cleveland 7,000 showed up for a job fair vying for 1,000 jobs, causing more than 2,000 job seekers to be turned away by overwhelmed fire marshals.

“Job fairs can be a great way to meet with many potential employers, however, in today’s flooded job market, standing out from the crowd and positioning yourself as the best candidate is a tough battle,” said Steve Cox, BBB spokesperson. “With a good game plan and some focused preparation, though, job hunters can tip the scales in their favor and greatly increase the probability of making a good impression and securing a new position.”

BBB offers the following advice for job hunters on how to prepare and present themselves at a job fair:

Research companies first. In some cases, only one employer is holding a job fair, which makes research much easier. For larger job fairs bringing in many employers, job hunters should be able to find a list of attending companies at the host’s Web site and begin researching the companies they want to target beforehand. Not only will this help job hunters focus on specific opportunities, but it will also help them develop intelligent, tailored pitches for the employers they want to engage.

Take plenty of resumes. Before walking into a job fair, job hunters should know which businesses are attending, and what positions they are recruiting for. Job hunters should have customized resumes prepared for their target businesses, and should bring plenty of copies of their standard resume to pass along to other employers. Also, job hunters should take a briefcase or portfolio to organize and hold business cards and other materials.

Perfect an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is your description of who you are, what your skill set is, and how you can benefit the business. The pitch should be brief, conversational and natural, but should be well-rehearsed. The elevator pitch simply must be memorable and sincere since job hunters may only have a few minutes at the most to make an impression on the potential employer.

Dress and act the part. Putting your best foot forward at a job fair means “looking the part” by wearing professional clothes, such as a suit and removing any unusual piercings and covering tattoos. A job hunter also needs to act like a professional, including not swearing or making inappropriate jokes or speaking ill of a former employer.

Be confident. While a day at a job fair can be exhausting, it’s important to always act confident and enthusiastic. Job hunters should work hard to stay positive and take breaks to get organized and recharge their batteries. In fact, BBB recommends taking a few minutes to review your elevator pitch and materials before approaching each of your target businesses.

Don’t become a victim. While instances of scammers setting up shop at a job fair are rare, job hunters should never pay an upfront fee to any potential employer at a job fair, nor should they give any personal information such as bank account or Social Security numbers until they have researched the company fully outside of the fair.

For more advice on finding a job, as well as guidance from BBB on avoiding fraud while on the hunt, go to www.bbb.org

6 job-hunting tips from Bankrate.com

1. Start early 2. Go to the government 3. Think seasonally 4. Surf and stop in 5. Be businesslike 6. Depend on yourself Stumble It!

FTC: Your Rights: Credit Reporting

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, has prepared a brochure, Your Access to Free Credit Reports, explaining your rights under the FCRA and how to order a free annual credit report.

A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide consumer reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.

When you order, you need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. To verify your identity, you may need to provide some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment.

A Warning About "Imposter" Sites

The FTC advises consumers who order their free annual credit reports online to be sure to correctly spell annualcreditreport.com, or link to it from the FTC's website to avoid being misdirected to other websites that offer supposedly free reports,but only with the purchase of other products. While consumers may be offered additional products or services while on the authorized website, they are not required to make a purchase to receive their free annual credit reports.

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Top 10 Consumer Complaints

According to the FTC, for the eighth year in a row, identity theft is the number one consumer complaint category. Of 813,899 total complaints received in 2007, 258,427, or 32 percent, were related to identity theft.

Consumers reported fraud losses totaling more than $1.2 billion; the median monetary loss per person was $349, the report states.